Saturday, June 7, 2014

Personality Tests, Characters and Lane Swift!

Over the years I have done lots of personality tests. Alas, I have never managed to do a test twice and get the same results. Or, read the results and think, wow, they have nailed it. That's me all over. 

A fellow writer has sent me the link to the one of the most popular tests. It is called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI. Used by 89 of the Fortune 100 companies, it has been translated into 24 languages and has been adopted by governments and military agencies around the world.

Like many personality tests, MBTI is based on the work of Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist who, together with Sigmund Freud, laid the foundations of modern psychology. Jung developed the idea of opposed pairs of character traits which are present in all of us and suggested that in each pair we each have a natural preference.

So why doesn't it work for me? Am I not answering the questions properly? 

I was told that my problem is that no matter how they phrase the questions - I read them differently. Therefore, dependant on my mood, or which job I'm going for, my answers change. 

The questions ask you what your prefer. No matter how many questions there are, no matter how many different ways they phrase their questions, every time it look at the sheet I can only seen four questions. Over, 

Extravert or introvert?

Using your head or heart?

Do you use facts or feelings?

Are you a planner or spontaneous?

My fellow writer is using the test to help her develop the characters in her latest novel, which it think is a brilliant idea. Since Lane Swift is an erotic fiction writer who deals with the emotions of the characters, it is really vital that her character studies are accurate. Her first book, 'Game Player' will be published by Less Than Three Press some time in the Autumn (or Fall if you are in the states.)
www.lessthanthreepress.com/

Where to find Lane Swift online





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1 comment:

  1. Lane SwiftJune 8, 2014 at 11:49 AM

    Thanks for the shout Charlotte! The book's called The Playmaker.

    I wondered why your results varied. Your assessment is fascinating and is an answer within an answer. I said I couldn't even guess your type. I don't attach any opinion to it -- it is what it is.

    For me, the Myers-Briggs is another tool in the box and it suits my analytical brain to have the numbers, the facts, the figures, the models to work from when I'm solidifying my characters. It's also of help for me to be more attuned to my weaknesses.

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